Donatus Nwoga

Donatus Nwoga (30 July 1933 – 1991) was a poetry critic and professor of African literature at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

Donatus Nwoga
Born
Donatus Ibeakwadalam Nwoga

(1933-07-30)30 July 1933
Mbaise, Imo State, Nigeria
Died1991 (aged 57–58)
NationalityNigerian
Alma materUniversity of London; Queen's University Belfast
Occupations
  • Literary critic
  • Academic
Years active?—1991
Notable workWest African Verse: An Anthology, and Poetic Heritage: Igbo Traditional Verse

Early life and education

Nwoga was from Mbaise in Imo State, Nigeria. He studied at St Brigid's School, Ahiara.[1] In the 1950s, Nwoga studied at the University of London and then at Queen's University Belfast, where he attended classes with the poet Seamus Heaney.[2] Nwoga was a founding editor of the student magazine Gorgon and likely the first person to publish Heaney's work.[3][4]

Research

Nwoga and Romanus Egudu researched Igbo poetry and published a collection of translated into English.[5] Nwoga taught with Chinua Achebe in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.[6]

He was a member of organisations including the African Literature Association, the International African Institute, the Association for Commonwealth Language and Literature Studies, and The Folklore Society.[1]

Publications

Nwoga was the author of West African Verse: An Anthology, and Poetic Heritage: Igbo Traditional Verse, among other publications.[7][8]

Death and legacy

Following Nwoga's death in 1991, Heaney wrote a tribute to him titled "A Dog Was Crying Tonight in Wicklow Also".[9]

The Institute of African Studies at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, launched a Dictionary of Igbo Proverbs in Nwoga's honour.[10]

A memorial lecture was in Nwoga's name was created at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.[11] In the opening remarks of the 2020 lecture, Dean of the Faculty of Arts Nnanyelugo Okoro described Nwoga as "a humanist and intellectual elephant.[11]

References
  1. Udo, Mary (23 March 2017). "NWOGA, Prof. Donatus Ibe". Biographical Legacy and Research Foundation. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  2. "Donatus Ibeakwadalam Nwoga". Celebrating Igbo People. 11 March 2009. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  3. Suhr-Sytsma, Nathan (10 July 2017). Poetry, Print, and the Making of Postcolonial Literature. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-16684-4.
  4. Hoy, Seán (September 2017). "Ambassador's Blog: Letter from Nsukka". Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  5. Fraser, Robert (4 September 1986). West African Poetry: A Critical History. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-31223-3.
  6. Matzke, Christine; Raji, Remi; Raji-Oyelade, Aderemi; Davis, Geoffrey V. (2006). Of Minstrelsy and Masks: The Legacy of Ezenwa-Ohaeto in Nigerian Writing. Rodopi. ISBN 978-90-420-2168-6.
  7. Nwoga, Donatus Ibe (1967). West African Verse: An Anthology. Longmans.
  8. Egudu, Romanus N.; Nwoga, Donatus Ibe (1971). Poetic heritage: Igbo traditional verse. Nwankwo-Ifejika.
  9. Innes, C. L.; Collier, Gordon (26 November 2013). "Africans and Ireland". In Lindfors, Bernth; Davis, Geoffrey V. (eds.). African Literatures and Beyond: A Florilegium. Rodopi. ISBN 978-94-012-0989-2.
  10. Uzodinma, Emmanuel (27 April 2013). "Institute to launch dictionary of Igbo proverbs". Daily Post Nigeria. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  11. Odu, Ikechukwu (14 February 2020). "UNN would continue to honour academic excellence, hardwork — VC". Vanguard News. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.